Marcia Cross

Of course you're familiar with Bree Van De Camp from Desperate Housewives, but if you loved to hate the psychotic Dr. Kimberly Shaw on Melrose Place, you are a true Marcia Cross fan. We recently had the good fortune of chatting with the refreshingly real Marcia Cross about surviving her demanding shooting schedule, the daily dramas of life with twins and somehow finding time for friendship.

MOMMY TRACKED: It sounds so corny but really — how do you do it? How long are your shooting days — are the twins on set? Do you get to put them to sleep most nights?

Marcia Cross: Oh goodness. There really is no typical day in the life. There are so many moving variables. The schedule changes every ten days. Some days I will be home all day and able to get them up, be with them and put them to bed. When I have those rare days, I want to just be with them — I feel too guilty to even see a friend or go to the gym. Because set days often last 12 or more hours a day. I am always feeling guilty about something. The producers are flexible —to a point. When you aren’t with them it is really hard. They do come to the set. And they are really good when they are there. There are fussy moments, though, when I have to rehearse with one of the twins on my hip.

We’ve always wanted to ask a high profile mom how it feels to have her kids in national magazines all the time. Does it make you proud to see them referred to as beautiful kids — or do you just wish you could keep them out of the public eye all together?

I personally have never arranged to have them photographed. But the paparazzi do capture them from time to time. I guess that’s just part of the deal. Most of the time I don’t even notice that a picture is being taken. And I have to admit that I love looking at other people with their kids in the magazines.

Given the consistent schedule and its local nature, is your hope to always work in series television?

God no. The one hour drama is the hardest schedule out there. A half-hour sit-com is much better. Even film work you can take a break from. This has to be the most grueling job an actor can have.

I am sure you have been asked this often — but how much crazier is it with twins?

I guess I don’t really know if it is crazier — because it’s the only thing I’ve ever known. I do wish I had more alone time with each of the girls. I always feel guilty trying to take one twin somewhere without the other. That part is really hard. You end of battling with yourself about which one to spend time with first and then you just forget it and all stay together.

Now that you have kids, do you feel drawn toward “mom” character roles – or are you offended by the notion that because you are a mom, you should play one?

I guess I never really thought about it before. It seems natural when you get to a certain age to play the part of a woman with kids. But I played moms before I had kids too.

One of the themes that our writers and readers consistently touch on is the need for women to spend time with similarly situated empathetic friends as often as they can. That kind of time is what can keep us sane. What kind of support network do you rely on?

I do talk to Felicity Huffman on the set — she is a great one to talk to about parenting issues. I have a lot of other mom friends — but so little time. When I catch one of them on the phone on the fly — I will ask them to call our mutual friends to catch everyone else up on any news. I always do feel recharged and revitalized after speaking with my friends.

You’ve teamed up with Mott’s and Feeding American for a very worthwhile cause — tell us a little big about your involvement and the “WAKE UP CALL.”

Motts came to me with a great idea — a great program with a mission to feed America’s hungry children. By simply visiting Motts.com [1], people can send a wake-up call from me to themselves, or to a friend, for free. For every call placed, Mott’s will donate one dollar to Feeding America [2]. It really is a wonderful program.